Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 162 - 153: The Massacre
Situ You stood on the large flying shuttle that was flying steadily, his heart filled with a bitter sweetness. Below, the heads of people in Lixia County were crowded, all looking up at them, which only served to agitate and disturb him.
Just like the Tangjin Sect invading Green Pond to slaughter mortals and refine magic artifacts, he didn't have the unrestrained smugness that a cousin who invaded the Green Pond Sect decades ago had. Situ You knew that this was not a trade but a demand from the Green Pond Sect. This mission was extremely dangerous; that was why the sect had sent him, the least valued Fetal Breathing Realm bastard of the clan.
Though the Tangjin Sect was ostensibly a sect, in reality, it was just a sub-branch of the Situ Family. The higher the Cultivation Level of a Cultivator, the greater the likelihood of their offspring having a Spirit Aperture. Eventually, Sects would inevitably come under the control of a single family, just like the Chi Family of the Green Pond Sect and the Zhang Family of the Jin Yu Sect. Cultivators of different surnames who join the Sect in the end are but people to be utilized.
With the death due to old age of a Zifu Peak Cultivator from the Tangjin Sect—losing its pillar—the faction of his lineage allied through marriage with the Green Pond Sect naturally rose to power. That cousin who had slaughtered the Wan Family, Situ Yi, met a miserable end, which chilled Situ You to the core. He knew that invading was a matter of deep waters; anyone involved was unlikely to meet a good end, and his mind was filled with complex thoughts.
Now that the Tangjin Sect had become a vassal to the Green Pond Sect, the Situ Family had been ordered to head south to attack the five prefectures of Green Pond. Although Situ You did not understand why the Green Pond Sect had suddenly gone mad and begun to massacre their own subordinate families, he obediently accepted the order and led his men south.
"It's utterly ridiculous. I'm just in the Fetal Breathing Realm, yet they expect me to lead a few Qi Cultivators to plunder Lixia County, guarded by Foundational Noble Families..."
Situ You's mind was a mess of complex thoughts, when suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind, and he muttered:
"I understand now! I understand! It looks like someone from the Green Pond Sect must be about to fall... The Green Pond sect is afraid..."
"Brother You!"
A Qi Cultivator beside him called out, prompting Situ You to snap back to reality. Hastily, he summoned his blood-red long knife, a Foundation Establishment level Magic Artifact that already had the lives of over a hundred thousand people on its record. After completing this ritual refinement, it might even compete with some of the top-ranked Magic Artifacts of the Green Pond Sect.
Concentrating on his spell, Situ You released a surge of red knife lights, akin to thousands of blood rays moving agilely in the air, as if possessing their own consciousness, akin to birds, they descended towards Lixia County below, each seeking out mortals to slaughter.
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"Uncle!"
Xiao Ruyu was tense as he bowed to Xiao Yongling beside him, urgently saying:
"Please take action quickly! There are hundreds of thousands of mortals in Lixia County, including thousands of our Xiao family's common kin... The invaders are but a dozen Qi Cultivators; how can we let them slaughter at will..."
"Wait a bit longer,"
Xiao Yongling shook his head, his eyes cold as he observed the figures of a dozen Qi Cultivators in the sky above the county city, whispering:
"It's not that simple, I'm afraid people from the Green Pond Sect are watching from the outside. They want to force the Xiao Family's Foundational members to take action, so they can surround and kill us... Chi Wei doesn't have many years left; we cannot mess up the grand plan of the elder!"
Xiao Ruyu's face stiffened, a hint of unwillingness in his voice as he said softly:
"But those are hundreds of thousands of mortals... Generations who have taken care of the Xiao Family, how can we, how can we! Just abandon them to be used by the Tangjin Sect for their ritual refinement of Magic Artifacts!"
"Don't you think I know that!"
Xiao Yongling seemed somewhat irritable as he roared at his younger relative, saying through clenched teeth:
"But the Xiao Family has been enduring in silence for over three hundred years! It was with great difficulty that we finally waited for Chuting, an unrivaled genius to break the alliance of the three families and take control of the entire Lixia County. Now that we're only a decade or so from breaking away from the Green Pond Sect to establish the Zifu Immortal Clan, how can we act rashly!"
"Aren't you afraid that Chi Wei is waiting at the mountain gate, ready to capture us impulsively striking out and force the ancestor to intervene, culminating in the Xiao Family's hard-earned Zifu being subjugated? In the end, we won't be able to save the mortals, and even the Xiao Family will be annihilated with them!"
Xiao Ruyu remained silent, not saying a word. Xiao Yongling gave him a stern look and harshly added:
"Once Chi Wei dies, the Green Pond Sect will no longer have the strength to surround and attack the elder; all of this is worth it... Becoming an independent power, just wait a few decades and then take over what's left of Secret Forest County by Wangyue Lake, and our Xiao Family, backed by Wangyue Lake and Da Li Mountain, won't have any more to worry about..."
Xiao Ruyu ultimately didn't speak up. Together with Xiao Yongling, they watched the hell on earth unfold below the mountain—a scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The screams and wailing were isolated by a Formation. Xiao Ruyu's teeth chattered with repressed rage, and after a long time, he finally said in sorrow:
"I once hated the Tangjin Sect and the Green Pond Sect for their despicable deeds, but now I look at my own Xiao Family... We are not so clean ourselves!"
Hearing this, Xiao Yongling was slightly shaken and looked at him with a complicated expression. He spoke softly:
"If you're looking for something clean, you'd have to search only within stories, where you might find one or two clean things."
"Don't be fooled by the bright sunlight over the earth--nothing is truly clean in this world!"
————
Li Xuanfeng walked out of the Cave Mansion, the Jin Geng Longbow in his hand glistening in the sun. Seeing Li Xuanxuan approaching, Li Xuanfeng let out a hearty laugh and teased,
"Five years of seclusion, and big brother's cultivation level hasn't fallen behind at all! You're almost reaching the peak of the Fetal Breathing Realm!"
"Ha ha, I can't compare to you!"
Li Xuanxuan had also made swift progress in the past five years. Not only had he achieved the final rotation within the Six Wheels of Fetal Breathing, but his cultivation level had also reached the Fetal Breathing Peak. His advancement could not be considered slow.
"How is your archery technique?"
Li Xuanxuan asked, to which Li Xuanfeng replied with a beaming smile as he handed over a Jade Slip,
"This archery technique is called 'Golden Bow of Raging Strings.' It's profoundly mysterious. If mastered completely, one could at least obtain seven parts of my authentic teachings."
"Good, good."
Li Xuanxuan treasured the Jade Slip, gingerly placing it into his chest, ready to keep it in the stone cave. He said cheerily,
"Come and have a seat. I'll go call our uncle right away."
Li Xuanfeng nodded slightly, his moustache on his lips making him appear much more mature. He sat down and took big gulps of tea, but his heart was rising and falling, feeling a bit uneasy.
"Strange."
After setting the tea bowl down, Li Xuanfeng suddenly envisioned the figure of the river fisherwoman and muttered to himself,
"No matter what, this time I will bring this young lady back first... With Qi Cultivators, it's not easy to have children, and who knows how long it will be until she becomes pregnant. It's not right to leave her outside every day. As for what my uncles and brothers will say, I can only explain later."
"Feng'er!"
Li Tongya stepped into the courtyard with the wind at his heels, pacing briskly. Li Xuanfeng's eyes lit up as he quickly rose to his feet and bowed,
"Congratulations to second uncle on breaking through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Cultivation!"
Li Tongya's presence was already that of someone who had broken through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Cultivation, and his True Yuan was thriving, indicating that the breakthrough had happened a year or two ago. He nodded to him, took a seat, accepted the tea bowl, and smiled,
"So, has your archery technique improved?"
"It certainly has!"
Li Xuanfeng appeared very proud, hoisting the longbow and laughing,
"A few years ago, I only grasped the fierceness of the bow, but now I have comprehended the intent of the bow. Without needing to notch an arrow, just drawing the bow and raising the string can stop a rabbit heart dead, shatter a man's courage. Needlessly to mention ordinary people and Fetal Breathings, even a Qi Cultivator struck by this invisible and colorless arrow intent would feel panic-stricken and lose concentration for a long time. Those with weak will might vomit blood and feel a burning heart, unable to even summon the wind."
"Is it that miraculous?"
Li Tongya felt that his archery technique was quite peculiar. Having no knowledge of the bow and arrow himself, he could not say whether Li Xuanfeng's realm was good or bad. He thought that he would just have to test it in actual combat in the future.
Seeing Li Xuanfeng looking around restlessly, Li Tongya chuckled softly and asked,
"What's the matter?"
Li Xuanfeng shook his head and carefully chose his words, whispering,
"This... this... please forgive me, second uncle... I have a beloved in the County City, but her background is too modest... I've never dared bring her home. It's been over ten years now, and today I thought of bringing her back, to continue the line of our family..."
"Eh."
Li Tongya took a sip of his tea and replied,
"There's no sin in a young man's longing. Find an opportunity to bring the lady back."
Li Xuanfeng was overjoyed at once, nodding repeatedly. Originally planning to demonstrate the Golden Bow technique to Li Tongya and others, he was now so excited that, after bidding Li Tongya goodbye, he took to the wind, heading to the County City to pick up the river fisherwoman.
